1. Field of the Invention
In general, this invention pertains to transportation systems. Specifically, this invention pertains to propulsion systems necessary for both space travel and ground transportation.
2. Background Information
The abundance and usefulness of pneumatic devices is unequivocal. In particular, gas guns, which use pressurized gas to accelerate projectiles, are well known. However, gas guns probably work better and are simply more practical on a small scale (i.e., with small bullet-sized projectiles) than on a large scale (i.e., with large spacecraft-sized projectiles). Consequently, the design and operation of a gas gun that could be used for spacecraft would be very unwieldy. The present invention utilizes the small-scale scale gas gun concept in combination with a magnetic coupling scheme to achieve a novel apparatus for propelling large conveyances like spacecraft and ground transportation vehicles.